EVALUATION

Levels of evaluation

ESP
(English for an Specific Purposes)

Developed in response
to certain pressures

Indicate a need to
pay more attention to

The individual
learner

The worlds of
commerce

The worlds of
technology

Produce

A host of people with
specific language
learning needs

Evaluation requiremens

Specific objectives
in the ESP course

ESP
learners

ESP
sponsors

Invest in the ESP
course annd they
want to see a
return on their
investment of
time and/or
money

The managers
of the ESP
course

More
demand

Better
evaluation
procedures
e

Provide feedback
on the ESP course

Learner Assessment

Course Evaluation

Assess wheteher
the course objectives are being met

Satisfy a particular
educational need

Help to show how
well the course is
actually fullfilling
the need

Assess student
performance at
strategic points
in the course

Enable sponsors,
teachers and
learners to decide
whether and how much
language intuition
is required

Main aspects

Parties involved

Teachers

Learners

Sponsors

Etc

What should be
evaluated?

How can ESP
courses be
evaluated?

Who should be
involved in the
evaluation?

When and how
often should
evaluation
take place?

Everything of significance

Your ability to
collect information

Topic flotante

In many ways

Test results, questionnaires, discussions, interviews, informal means (unsolicited comments, "casual" chats, etc.)

ESP teaching institution, ESP teachers, learners, course sponsonrs.

In the first week of the course

At regular intervals throughout the course, for example every half-term

If it's possible after
the course

Placement tests

Achievement tests

Proficiency tests

PLace learners in
the ESP course most
suited to their needs

Comes at the
beginning
of the test

Determines the learners'
state of knowledge
before the ESP course
begins.

It is a proficiency test

Learner lacks

Potential for learning
that can be exploited
in the ESP course

Internal to the course

Principles for
constructing
any tests

Avoid bias
in the test

What you want
it to test

Test what learners
have learnt

Nature

Content of the course

Assess whether or not the student can cope with the demands of a particular situation

Are primarly criterion-referenced

Be able to give a reliable indication of wheter the candidate is proficient enough to came out the tasks that will be required

How specific is specific?

What should the criteria be?

Should they vary with different subject areas?

What kills and knowledge enable someone to performe particular tasks?

How specific are those skills and that knowledge to any particular task?